Audre Lorde (1934-1992) - A self-described “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” Audre Lorde dedicated both her life and her creative talent to confronting and addressing the injustices of racism, sexism, and homophobia. “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) - A civil rights organizer and activist, best known for his work as adviser to Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1950s and '60s. Though he was arrested several times for his own civil disobedience and open homosexuality, he continued to fight for equality. “You have to join every other movement for the freedom of people.” Billie Holiday (1915-1959) - Billie Holiday was a prominent jazz vocalist and song stylist of the 1930s. Throughout her career, Holiday was openly bisexual and was rumored to have dated a notable amount of stage and actresses including Tallulah Bankhead. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) - Author Oscar Wilde was known for his acclaimed works including The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, as well as his brilliant wit, flamboyant style and infamous imprisonment for homosexuality. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) - An American poet whose verse collection 'Leaves of Grass' is a landmark in the history of American literature. He is often called the father of free verse. His work was very controversial in its time and was described as obscene for its overt sexuality. He is usually described as either homosexual or bisexual. Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) - Cavalry commander at age eighteen, king at twenty, conqueror of the Persian Empire at twenty-six, explorer of the Indian frontier at thirty. He had many female and male lovers, the most famous of whom was his childhood companion, Hephaestion. Alan Turing (1912-1954) – An English mathematician, logician and cryptographer, Alan Turing was responsible for breaking the Nazi Enigma code during World War II. Some of his papers are widely acknowledged as the foundation of research in artificial intelligence. In 1952, he was arrested and charged with “indecency” after a brief relationship with another man. Defiant, he did not deny the charges. Sally Ride (1951- 2012) - Sally Ride was the first American woman to fly in space, she was also the first known LGBTQ individual in space. In 2003, Ride was added to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Until her death on July 23, 2012, Ride continued to help students - especially girls -study science and mathematics. Tammy Baldwin (1962 - ) Tammy Baldwin is the junior United States Senator from Wisconsin and a member of the Democratic Party. She is the first woman elected to represent Wisconsin in the Senate and the first openly gay U.S. Senator in history. Sylvia Rivera (1951-2002) – A veteran of the Stonewall Riots, Sylvia Rivera was an American gay liberation and transgender activist and self identified "drag queen". She was a founding member of both the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance. With her close friend Marsha P. Johnson, Rivera co-founded the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (STAR), a group dedicated to helping homeless young drag queens and trans women of color. Sappho (615 BCE – 550 BCE) - Sappho was an archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos. she wrote lyric poetry and is best known for her poems about love and women. Beyond her poetry, she is well known as a symbol of love and desire between women. “Although only breath, words which I command are immortal.” Harvey Milk (1930-1978) - Born in New York in 1930, gay rights activist and community leader Harvey Milk made history when he became one of the first openly gay officials in the United States in 1977, when he was elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. “All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.” Hadrian (76-138) – Hadrian was the fourteenth Emperor of Rome (10 August 117 to 10 July 138 CE) and is known as the third of the Five Good Emperors who ruled justly. He is best known for his substantial building projects throughout the Roman Empire, many of which were dedicated to his lover Antinous. Josephine Baker (1906-1975) - Josephine Baker was a dancer and singer who became wildly popular in France during the 1920s. She worked for the French Resistance during World War II, and during the 1950s and '60s devoted herself to fighting segregation and racism in the United States. Her son has described her as bisexual, having had relationships with men and women, including the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) - Considered one of Mexico's greatest artists, Frida Kahlo began painting after she was severely injured in a bus accident. Inspired by Mexican popular culture, she employed a natïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. She has become not only a recognized figure in art history, but also regarded as an icon for Chicanos, feminists, and the LGBTQ movement. Lord Byron (1788-1824) – Lord Byron was an English poet, peer, politician, and a leading figure in the Romantic movement. Often described as the most flamboyant and notorious of the major Romantics, Byron was both celebrated and castigated in life for his aristocratic excesses, including huge debts, numerous love affairs – with men as well as women. Mark Takano (1960 - ) – Mark Takano is an American politician who has been the United States Representative for California's 41st congressional district since 2013. Upon taking office, Takano became the first openly gay person of Asian descent in Congress. George Takei (1937- ) – George Takei is an American actor, director, author, and activist. Takei is best known for his role as Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the USS Enterprise in the television series Star Trek. Takei is a proponent of LGBT rights and is active in state and local politics. Lucy Hicks Anderson (1886-1954) - Lucy Hicks Anderson was a trans woman and socialite who found herself on trial for marrying a man and wearing women’s clothes during Prohibition-era America. Anderson publicly insisted that a person could be of one sex and belong to the other. She defended her actions by saying “I have lived, dressed, acted just what I am, a woman.” Marsha Johnson (1945-1992) – Marsha Johnson was an African American gay liberation activist and drag queen. Known as an outspoken advocate for gay rights, Johnson was one of the prominent figures of the Stonewall uprising in 1969. A founding member of the Gay Liberation Front, Johnson co-founded the gay and transvestite advocacy organization S.T.A.R. In the 1980s and early 90s, Johnson became an AIDS activist with ACT UP. Renee Richards (1934 - ) – Renee Richards was an American tennis player. In 1975 Richards underwent male-to-female sex reassignment surgery. She was then denied entry into the 1976 US Open by the US Tennis Association. She disputed this policy, and the New York Supreme Court ruled in her favor in 1977 in a decision in favor of trans right. As one of the first professional athletes to identify as such, she became a spokesperson for the transgender community. Susan Allen-Susan Allen is one of the first openly lesbian Native Americans to be elected to the state legislature. She grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. She is Lakota, Dakota, and Anishinabe and currently a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, where her mother was born and raised. Susan was strongly influenced by the American Indian Movement and has been a strong advocate for reducing discrimination and gaps in equality for Native people